The Outbreak
by ThaDanster
Summary: Zootopia is in ruins after a disease that makes the dead walk spreads throughout the city, and infects most of the population. How will the survivors make it through the challenges that are to come? Maybe a one-shot, depending on how this goes.
1. Chapter 1

It all started two years ago. Back when everything was alright in the world, and everyone was at peace. Our city was thriving; crime rates were the lowest that they had ever been. New shops and houses were being made at incredible rates. Everyone was happy. Mammals started believing a new age of prosperity was among them, and that things would be great for a long time.

Man, were they wrong.

My name's Nick Wilde. I'm the leader of a group of mammals, who fight in order to take back what's ours. We will keep fighting until there are none of us left. We've all been through hell. But what I've gone through, what I've seen...what I had to do to keep the ones I cared about safe...

I've experienced it all, and I guess it's time I share those experiences with you. Hold onto something, because you're in for a crazy ride.

(Nick's POV)

I woke with a jump, and pain shot through my body. I clenched my teeth, and sat my body back sown against my bed. I surveyed my surroundings. It looked like I was in a hospital, if the florescent lights and morphine stand attached to me were anything to go by. I pressed the red button on the remote connected to my bed for what felt like a hundred times, but nobody came. The usual bustle that I associated with hospitals was non-existent. In fact, it was completely silent in the halls.

I tried to recall how I had gotten here. The last thing I remembered was riding in the van with Finnick. We were on our way back from that bar that had just opened up last night. We were talking about something, and then... The car crash! Some asshole t-boned us! Oh, god, I hope Fin's alright. I'm sure he's in better shape than I am. I was on the side the car hit.

Seeing there weren't any doctors or nurses around who were in any hurry to help me, I decided to get out of the bed on my own. I pulled the blanket I was wrapped in off of my body, and sat up. It was excruciatingly painful to move my torso. I probably have a few broken ribs. I turned my body to face the side the morphine stand was on, and slowly slid off the bed. My paws touched the floor, and it was as cold as ice. My legs nearly buckled under me, as I assume I hadn't used them since the crash last night. I grabbed onto the medicine stand and used it as leverage to walk my way to the door of my room.

I looked out in the hall to find that there were no mammals working at the nurse's station. Though it was odd, I didn't think much of it. I continued walking down the hall towards a sign that read "restrooms". I needed to take a leak. Once, I arrived at the sign, I read what else was on it. Vending machines, room numbers and another nurse's station. I decided to try and find a nurse that could, hopefully, help me, first.

As I continued walking along the empty hall, I began to hear what sounded like other mammals. It sounded as if it was coming from the direction of the nurse's station. As I turned the corner, I saw a door to another wing. It was closed off, with a chain wrapped around the handles and was spray painted to say, 'do not open' in large text. Curious, I continued walking towards the door, and as I did, the sounds of mammals got louder; it sounded like groaning. As I approached the door, I began to smell an awful stench.

I looked through a crack in the middle of the doors, and immediately regretted it. What I saw on the other side of that door was the stuff of nightmares. Blood was splattered on walls and floors, along with various species of mammals slowly walking or limping around, with muzzles and teeth covered in red. Some were missing parts of themselves, such as a wolf with a large areas of his chest, which looked to have been clawed out.

I stumbled back, away from the door and gasped loudly. Apparently, the mammals on the other side had heard me, as they all turned towards the door and walked up to it. They began to beat against the door with all the force of a train. The chain on the door began to rattle, and eventually fell to the ground. Whatever had happened to those mammals, I didn't want to be a part of it.

I ran for the first time in what felt like years. My legs were already burning, but I continued running. I didn't know how close those mammals were behind me, but I didn't turn around to check. I looked for an exit to the building, and found one; past the nursing station, and past my room. I slammed open the door, and was met with stairs on the outside of the building. I ripped the cables and needles that were attached to the IV stand out of my arms, and made my way down the stairs as fast as I could.

I ran and continued running. I found a bike rack, that was located in front of a local coffee shop, which was conveniently right around the corner of the hospital. The rack had a lone bike sat down next to it on the ground. I jogged over to the bike, and picked it up off of the ground. What I saw next, I was not ready for.

"Oh my God." I said. This could not be real.

Crawling at a snail's **pace** towards me, was a small female weasel, who was ripped completely in half, with large cuts on her arms and face. I nearly vomited, but managed to hold it in. She was, very obviously, not alive.

I got on the bike and sped away, towards a residential area where I would hopefully be able to get help. I peddled as fast as I could in my current state. My legs were burning, my torso was on fire, and I was running out of energy. As I entered the residential, I kept an eye out for anybody that could help me, but there wasn't a mammal to be seen anywhere. I needed rest, and I needed it now. I got off the bike, sat on a nearby curb, and gasped for air. I was in no condition to be exercising this vigorously.

As I settled down, I did something I haven't done in a long time. I cried. I cried for my friend Finnick, who I assumed was dead. I cried for all those mammals in the hospital, who I also assumed were dead. And I cried for the life I lost, as I knew it was never going to be the same.

During my breakdown, I heard hooves against concrete. I looked around, but saw no one. I was alone. Thinking I was just being paranoid, I ignored it, and went back to my sobbing. Suddenly, I felt a metal object connect with the back of my head. I yelped in pain. As my vision began to fade to black, I heard voices. Actual voices.

"I got him, dad!", a young voice said. Another voice, distinctly deeper and more masculine spoke after. "He's not one of them. But we're better safe than sorry."

I then felt another blow to the back of my head, and with that, I blacked out.

 **Author's Note: Hey, everyone. Thanks for reading! This is my first time writing something that isn't an essay for school, so I apologize if it came out a little half baked. I'm not sure if I am going to continue this story; that will be up to you whether or not I do. It would mean a lot if you told me what you thought of the story! Thanks again! Later :)**


	2. Chapter 2

(Nick's POV)

I woke with a start, and felt pain surge through my body. Felt like Déjà vu… Except this time, I wasn't in a hospital. Rather, I was in a large tent, that could easily fit an elephant with space to spare.

But that wasn't what stood out to me. What did stand out, was the middle-aged stag staring at me, sitting on a stool, with a double-barrel shotgun in his paws.

"'Bout time you woke up from your little nap. It's been at least 3 hours," he commented.

He had a deep voice, and spoke in a calm, even tone. I would have said he looked tired, if not for the constant bouncing of his knee.

I decided to play it safe, and use some of my charm to hopefully get on his good side, and dissuade him from any harmful actions toward me. "Well, sorry I didn't wake up as quickly as you'd have liked. Someone hit me over the head with a metal object." I kept my expression as friendly as I could manage, so as not to anger the stag. Last thing I wanted was a fight with an armed, and potentially dangerous mammal. Hopefully my charisma would help me out of this situation.

He chuckled without much enthusiasm, and proceeded to talk. "Sorry about that. Can't be too careful these days. My name's Clark."

I looked at him with a confused look on my face. He obviously had to be talking about the incredibly strange and unstable mammals I had the misfortune of seeing at the hospital earlier today.

"What do you mean, 'these days'? What's happened?" I was beginning to worry that something exceedingly horrible had happened, and my fears were confirmed when the buck responded.

"You're joking, right? The dead start to walk, and you've yet to notice? Have you been living under a rock for the past week?"

At that moment, I was struck to my core, and was paralyzed with dread. My fur began to bristle, and I began to stutter, incomprehensibly. "Wh-wha-what? You're lying, that stuff only happens in movies."

Clark gave a sad shake of his head, before standing up and moving towards the tent's exit, where he stood before responding to me. "Boy, I sure do wish I was lying, and this isn't a movie. Some kind of disease is making the deceased rise, and they aren't friendly when they do."

He gave a slight shake of head, and continued on. "When those mammals wake up, they hunt down anything living, and eat them 'till there's nothing left."

I was beginning to regain control of my senses, when my head started to hammer. I clenched my muzzle shut, and tried to act as if nothing was wrong, but the older stag seemed to see right through my mask.

"There's some aspirin and water on the ground next to you..." He let his sentence stretch out, before I realized he was waiting for me to tell him my name.

"Nick. My uh…my name is Nick."

"Well, Nick, when you're feeling good enough to walk, meet me by the river outside. I'll likely be fishing, or cleaning our guns." And with that, he left the tent, and left me to deal with what I had been told.

I took the given pills, and drained the water bottle in all of ten seconds. It didn't take long for the aspirin to kick in, and my headache to begin diminishing.

I sat there in that tent for nearly thirty minutes, plagued by the fears that were planted in my head. Zombies were real, and they were running amok in Zootopia. The implications themselves were terrifying. Real life zombies. Can't say I saw that one coming. The Zootopia military had to be doing something, right?

When the buck left the tent, I was stuck with more questions than I had answers.

I decided sitting on my tail and crying weren't going to get me anywhere, so I got up from the ground, and walked out of the tent with the intention of getting some answers.

 **Author's Note: Hey, everyone. I'd like to start off by saying thank you for all of the support on the first chapter of the story. It really means a bunch to me :) Secondly, I sincerely do apologize for how short these chapters are. I am currently writing on my phone, which makes everything much more difficult overall. I could normally write double this in half the time, but alas, my computer is currently broken. This chapter is really just a transition from the last scene to the next, and provides a little bit of information. As for the next chapter, I'm not sure when it will be out. What I do know, is that it will involve a certain character who's name starts with a 'J' ;) I do want to thank you again for reading, it means the world to me. See you all later :)**


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